Christian Harrison: Despite eight surgeries, I never gave up on my dreams | ATP Tour

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Christian Harrison: Despite eight surgeries, I never gave up on my dreams

American Doubles Standout writes about my Point-Peint Ourrest asy about the odds he crosses to compete among the sport’s best.

November 09, 2025

I was in a lot of pain. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t do anything.

I was a 14 year old kid instead of anyone else in my world. I had a job in front of me that I have always dreamed of and today, I am a 31 year old man preparing to compete with Evan King in the NITTO finals of the NitTest one of the biggest titles in our sport.

But as I think about my debut in this event, I reflect on my long battle to get here

17 years ago, I was dealing with a bone infection in my left femur. At that time, all I knew was that my leg was hurting. It was like I had constant stiffness in my leg, but it was the bone that was really hurting.

It first appeared when I was seven or eight years old. It just so happened that I happened on top when I was 14 years old and in a span of four weeks the infection doubled in size.

They were scientists who disagreed a few times, so they thought it was a bone infection that was difficult and a whole process in itself. Once it started to hurt we knew something was going on and learning that I had an infection in that bone was almost a relief.

Bone infections can be serious if they get into your pelvis. Before modern medicine, they stopped their legs whenever they were in pain. Medicine has improved a lot, but that’s what usually causes it. Fortunately they have better management methods now and I considered myself lucky then. I was able to take great care.

Nick Bollettieri was the one who set us up at the mayo clinic, so I could go with my family for treatment. We ended up taking care of it with surgery and I had a smooth recovery there – it was just a matter of healing.

But that was just the beginning. When I turned 19, I tore the labrum in my hip. I ended up having multiple surgeries. I had two hip surgeries, shoulder surgery, hand surgery and two adductor surgeries within a year of each other.

Those blocked me for about three years. I had ongoing problems with multiple surgeries and over the next few years, I missed another year and a half here, another year there.

In those times, the most important thing is to find ways to keep yourself happy and positive. I kept thinking that things could always be worse. Obviously it was difficult, but I never lost my motivation. I always found ways to keep my spirits up. I wanted to keep telling myself that it can be done the way it can be done.

Brother Ryan still played and was very successful, which helped. Once in the world No. 40 in months and No. 16 in return, I always wanted to look at him because I wanted to be there by his side. I always looked up to Ryan and was proud of him. That kept me motivated, around sports and with something to strive for.

The hardest part was not when I wasn’t playing, but when I started playing again. It takes a while to rise to the level you expect. But I always knew that I would never lose the joy of playing this game.

From the age of 15, I spent nine years without hitting tennis balls for the most part. But finally I was able to reach a very good level. I climbed to the top 200 in the PIF ATP rankings and made the semi-finals of the ATP Tour event in Delray Beach as a Qualifier in 2021.

I qualified for the first main draw in 2016 at the age of 2022, he did it again at Wimbledon two years later and finally made it back to the main draw of SW19 in 2022.

During my first round match against Jay Clarke, I injured my right foot badly. I was on two laps to love and he took a bathroom break, which gave me a lot of time to think about it.

I was already having an ongoing problem, it got up and I couldn’t put weight on my foot. I had to get it covered and grab something so I could get it. I was able to win the game, but I had to withdraw at the beginning of my second game.

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^{Photo: Justin Setterfield / Getty Images}